Fuchs:
Forme, safety is themainpriority. I have cancelled
expeditions in thepast andamprepared todosoagain. Inmy
opinion, puttinghuman lives in jeopardy isahighly immoral
thing todo. Lookatwhat happenedonMount Everest in the
1990s,whenanumber of climbers lost their livesandothers
simplypassed thembybecause theywanted tobe thefirst to
reach thesummit. I believe that ethicsandmoralsare important
whenembarkingonanexpedition. Success issimplynotworth
risking thewell beingof your teammembers. A team is just likea
chain; if I notice that a link in the chain isbreakingandamember
isn’t performing, I dismantle theentire chain. Anexpedition
shouldalsobeanenjoyableexperience. But as forme, there is
no joy tobehad if oneperson isn’t able tokeepup.
Is itmoredifficult tostop than to continue indefinitely?
Fuchs:
Whether I’m travellingbyship, onskisorwithadogsled,
I alwayshavemydestination inmind. Lettinggo isnever easy.
I amastrongbeliever innever givingup. Forme, however, never
givingupalsomeansnever givinguponyourself. That ismy life
insurancepolicy. It'snot uncommon tofindyourself stuck in the
dailygrindof a routine that constantlypushesyou forward.
Although this isaneffectivewayofmakingprogress, it also
involvesa risk that causesmanyexpeditions to fail. Imust be
prepared tocompletelychangemy thinkingat any time,what
ever I am currentlydoing, and tomonitor theactionsofmyself
andmy team. I thenaskmyself if this is reallygoing towork. Is
what I’mdoingwise?Orwould it bebetter toadmit defeat and
tostop, even if I am just a fewkilometres frommydestination?
Youhave to teachyourself tostop, takestockand tryand lookat
thesituation fromadifferent perspective.
Is thatwhatmakessomeonea leader?
Fuchs:
I thinkso, yes.
Haveyoubecomemoredaringover theyears, doyou
approachor do thingsdifferentlynow, andhowhaveyou
changedyourself?
Fuchs:
I think it’s important toalwaysbeawareof your own
limitations. I canstill runbehindadogsledwithout difficulty,
just as I could last year. Butmust I always climb the rigging
when it’sverywindy, just because I still can?No, I don’t have to
do that anymorebecause thereareyoungpeopleeager tomake
that climb. Theability to let goand todelegate toothers isa
quality that developsover time.Onceyouareprepared to leave
certain thingswell alonenowand then, you can continue tobe
On thehighseas:
Since1989, Arved Fuchshas travelledover 300,000kmonhissailingboat, theDagmarAaen.
“I think it’s important to
alwaysbeawareof your
own limitations.”
Photo:©AFExpeditionen
